Empty Rooms And Gentle Lies
by Feilyn
Summary: It's not often Naruto fears something, but when he does, Sasuke is there for him. However much he'd like to pretend not to.


**Title: **Empty Rooms And Gentle Lies

**Prompt: **2. Cheap Mascara

**Rating: **K

**Word Count: **1200 exactly

**Warnings: **Identity of Naruto's father, Angst

**Summary: **There is one room that Naruto has not yet entered in Hokage Mansion. Having achieved his dream, it's time to go in, but what he sees is not what he expects.

xXx

"Unbelievable."

"Shut up, Sasuke-teme."

"I can't believe you actually did it."

"Oi! I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but no one actually thought you would _succeed_."

"Konohamaru did!"

"He's a kid."

"He just made jounin."

"You were just inaugurated as Hokage and that doesn't stop you from being a dobe."

"Teme!"

"See?"

Naruto shakes his head, overly aware of the Hokage hat he's wearing. It's strange; he loved the hat, has coveted it his entire life only to discover that it is, in fact, damn uncomfortable.

"What about Tsunade-baachan, eh? Or Hinata? Even Sakura said I could do it," the blonde shoots back eventually.

"Sakura was drunk at the time," Sasuke points out. He stands slightly behind Naruto, wolf mask concealing his features; as captain of the new Hokage's personal ANBU, he is charged to protect him at the risk of his own life.

Of course, he would have done it anyway, but no one needs to know that. Not even Naruto.

The conversation peters out as the two of them stare at Naruto's new home – Hokage Mansion.

"Are you going to go in?" Sasuke asks softly, breaking the silence.

Naruto jumps a little, not expecting the other man to speak. "Uh…yeah. Yeah, I guess."

Ten years ago, just before Sasuke had killed Itachi and been dragged home, Naruto had stood in the exact same spot he was now and made a promise that he wouldn't enter _that_ room until it was his. Until he made Hokage.

His parents room.

Presumably, it's still in the same condition it had been when they lived there – Sarutobi had used a different bedroom and Tsunade never lived in the mansion at all – and that is what makes him nervous. The fact that he's going to go into that room and see what could have been.

Suddenly, Sasuke grabs a hold of his hand and starts dragging him towards the huge house.

"Eh? What?" Naruto yelps, hauling back. If he tries, of course, the Kyuubi's strength would send Sasuke flying but he'd never do that.

Well, not unless the Uchiha was being an ass.

Sasuke's voice when he speaks is unreadable. "I'm returning a favour."

It takes a few moments for Naruto to figure that one out, but when it clicks he leaps forward and glomps the ANBU in a most un-Hokage-like way.

Nine and a half years ago, sixteen year old Sasuke had not wanted to come home. He had wanted to impregnate some fertile wench and then die, his purpose complete.

Naruto hadn't cared what Sasuke wanted, taking him back to his small apartment and sitting on him. Then he let him up and they punched the crap out of each other. Then Sasuke sat on Naruto for a bit. It went on like this for months until one day, the old Sasuke was back. It didn't happen 'just like that'.

But it did happen.

Said Uchiha shakes his friend off him and suffers silently as his mask is pulled off and a large, wet kiss smacked on his cheek. After all, Naruto had healed him. Now it's time to return the favour.

"Sasuke! You're such a girl!"

He punches the Hokage in the face. In a friendly sort of way. "Dobe," he murmurs. "Come on, let's go." And, tugging his mask back into position, he takes up Naruto's hand again and starts pulling him towards the door.

"Teme. Let me go first." Naruto's hands are shaking a bit. "I've got the keys."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, knowing that even though his face is hidden, the blonde can _feel_ it, as in-tune to each other as they are.

He lets Naruto lead from there, following him through the twists and turns of the corridors until they reached a certain door.

It's like a repeat of what happened outside the place. Naruto reaches out, hesitates, lets his hand drop. Reaches out, hesitates, lets his hand drop.

"Dobe," Sasuke says again, voice still quiet.

For the second time, Naruto jumps a little, then shakes his head as if to clear it. He reached out, hesitates, and then suddenly Sasuke's hand is there, over the top of his and they pull down the handle together.

The room is empty.

Naruto laughs nervously, backing out. "Hehe…oops. Wrong room." He scratches the back of his head. "Whoa. Must be really nervous, hey?"

Sasuke doesn't believe it. He has a sinking sensation he knows exactly what's happened here.

Naruto starts walking fast down the hall, opening and slamming doors, muttering and laughing to himself every time he's faced with the wrong room.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, where is it? I'm sure it was down this hallway."

"Naruto."

"It was here, I know it was." The blonde is panicking now and it's showing in the way his voice has lowered an octave or so and his slitted pupils have narrowed even further. The part of his personality that he gained after absorbing the Kyuubi is emerging, the part of himself that he tries so hard to suppress.

Sasuke does the first thing he can think of and while Naruto is distracted, grabs a hold of him, throws him into the nearest room and sits on him.

It takes a while, but eventually Naruto stops struggling and with a choked sob starts to cry.

Sasuke hates touching people, but Naruto has always been different. He tosses his mask aside and shifts around so he's sort of cradling his friend as the Hokage cries himself out on his shoulder.

"It was _them_," Naruto whispers, and by the extra venom in his voice, 'them' refers to the Elders. "Sasuke, I tried so hard. I'm so sick of being hated."

There's not really much he can say to that.

They sit there for a while until Naruto decides he's ready to stand up. Sasuke wanders over to where he threw his mask and as he kneels down to pick it up, he gets an idea.

"Naruto. They left something."

The blonde turns slowly. "Eh?"

"Here." And he presses a tube of cheap mascara into his friend's hand.

Naruto stares down at it. "It…it must have been my mother's."

It's not. Sakura frequently forgets things at Sasuke's apartment and he'd picked it up that morning with the firm intention of passing it on to her.

She'll understand. It was her back-up anyway, a no-name brand an inept admirer had given her.

A soft smile spreads across Naruto's face, and he leans forward and kisses the ANBU again, this time on the corner of the mouth. Sasuke shivers inadvertently, and to hide his blush, puts his wolf mask back on. He feels a sudden urge to tell the blonde everything, but resists it.

Now is not the time.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

Naruto isn't an idiot. Well, not quite as idiotic as quite a few people think. He's seen the mascara before, was there when that chunin gave it to Sakura.

But he's not going to let Sasuke know. The ANBU captain will only be embarrassed, after all, and the gesture is still as meaningful even though Naruto knows the truth of it.

Years later, Naruto still has that tube of mascara

Years later, Sasuke still doesn't know.


End file.
